It recently launched a national register of hip joints so that the use of different types could be monitored.

BBC: Concern over faulty hip joints

There is already concern that the NHS may be widely using less effective hip joints, and in many cases paying over the odds for them.

BBC: Concern over faulty hip joints

Its properties are so useful and unusual that it is used not only to create the base layer of skis, but also to make bulletproof jackets and artificial hip and knee joints.

ECONOMIST: Using ski wax can trap dirt, and thus slow down the skier

The Health Minister said in February that the money would go to the Gwent Health Authority, which has excessive waiting times for orthopaedic services, which include hip replacements, knee joints and back surgery.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Wales | Hospitals still waiting for cash

The polymers can be used in just about any form of product from hydrogels and solutions to coatings for things like hospital equipment and even replacement joints (infections from contaminated hip, knee, and other joint replacements have been on the rise recently).

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Researchers plan on improving on the X1 design, adding more active joints to areas such as the ankle and hip, increasing the potential uses for the device.

ENGADGET: NASA and IHMC building X1 exoskeleton to give us a lift, keep us fit in space and on Earth

The hospital, which started Project Joints in October 2011, reduced infection rates from 1.9% of hip surgeries in 2010 to 0.54% last year and has slightly reduced knee surgery infections from 0.5% to 0.45%.

WSJ: Steps for Surgical Patients to Fight Infection